UK among Vietnam’s top ten visitor-generating markets

The UK has for the first time in seven years become one of Vietnam’s top ten visitor-generating markets, with nearly 18,000 Britons coming here last month, a year-on-year increase of 39.7%, reported the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

UK tourist arrivals have picked up strongly since Vietnam Airlines launched direct service between London and Vietnam’s two biggest cities, Hanoi and HCMC, in December last year.

Besides promotional flights aimed at Vietnamese travelers to Britain, the airline has organized a host of marketing activities to attract British tourists to the country. The national flag carrier now runs four weekly flights between Vietnam and the U.K. and will introduce daily flights in 2015.

The U.K. was on Vietnam’s top ten visitor-generating markets list in 2005.

VNAT this year will concentrate on exploring the potential market via promotions, road shows or tours arranged for British travel agencies to Vietnam.

The local tourism industry has arranged a range of promotional programs in the U.K. during the last two years, including placing advertisements on taxis or in tourism magazines like National Geographic UK.

The biggest deal yet was advertising on the electronic boards at stadiums which hosted 12 Premier League matches last year. Also, posters and ad films on Vietnam’s tourism were screened at 60 stadiums within one month in Britain.

Britain’s Guardian newspaper at the end of last year announced Vietnam as one of the five popular destinations after Japan, Maldives, Peru and New Zealand.

France also emerged as a fast-growing visitor-generating market for Vietnam last month, up 33.3% to over 25,000 travelers compared to the same period last year.

According to VNAT, the nation received 630,000 international visitors last month, rising 24.8% year-on-year.